Marbaniang, Domenic

It was not just because He was sinless; for, even the Father and the Holy Spirit are sinless. 1. It was because all things were created through Him (Jn.1:3); therefore, only through Him could all things also be redeemed (Eph.3:9; Col.1:16; Heb.1:2). 2. It was because He is the heir of all things (created for Him); therefore, He alone had the right to redeem all things (Heb.1:2,3). 3. It was because the old creation was through Him; therefore, it's end could also be through Him (1Cor.15:45; Jn.5:22) 4. It was because the old creation was through Him; therefore, the new creation could also be through Him. (Rev.21:5) 5. It is in Him that all things consist (Col.1:17); therefore, it is in Him that all things (in heaven and on earth, not below earth) can be reconciled and gathered together (Eph.1:10). 6. It is by the word of His power that all things are upheld (Heb.1:3; 2Pet.3:7); therefore, it is by the word of His power alone that all things can be preserved for immortality (Jude 1:1...

Pentecost has a number of theological implications for missions that cannot be ignored. The ethno-linguistic-geographical division that resulted at Babel was obliterated at Pentecost; and the pouring of the Holy Spirit entailed not only the transcending of linguistic barriers but also the ingathering of both Jews and Gentiles into one. "If therefore God gave them the same gift as He gave us when we believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could withstand God?"(Acts 11:17). Of course, though this doesn't mean that barriers and divisions are no more, it does certainly mean that missionary methods must honestly conform to the biblical picture of the Church. Theologically, we can recognize at least four distinctions in God’s ordering of the history of humanity: the original ordering, the divisive ordering, the in-gathering ordering, and the final ordering. 1. The Original Ordering. In the original ordering, humanity is one. Nationalities didn’t exist because plur...

"This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there." (Jas 3:15-16) The Bible talks about at least four sources of human thoughts: The World (books, images, media, friends, traditions, culture, belief-systems, etc) Our Nature or Soul (Gr. psuchikos; past experiences, inferences, memories, feelings, desires, lusts, undealt sin, immediate need, wickedness inside) The Devil (Evil spirits, occultic teachings) God (The Holy Spirit, The Word of God) Examples of Worldly Thoughts: You must not live according to the customs of the nations I am going to drive out before you. Because they did all these things, I abhorred them. (Lev 20:23) As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father had been. (1Kgs 11:4) Since you died with Christ to the basic principles of this world, why...

"Tell a lie, speak it loudly, repeat it often, and the majority of people will believe it." ~ Adolf Hitler Sinister as this quote appears, deliberate lying is part of propaganda and advertisement all around. And, while people recognize much of it as false (for instance, an ad that shows women swarming on a man using a particular body spray), it is held that somehow the elevated picture one paints will have a psychologically deterministic noetic effect. But, are truth and determinism compatible? That is a vital question the answer to which will decide two things: 1. Whether humans have epistemic freedom; that is the choice to know. 2. Whether knowledge entails moral responsibility. While some sort of psychological determinism exists, as evident from experiments in group conformity, Milgram's authority experiments, and Piaget's experiments on cognitive ability with children, the determinism of psychology argues in support of uniformity of experience and not diversities ...

"Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for "God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble." (1Pet 5:5) ~Humility before God includes humility before fellow humans as well. What matters more is not how much we know or what we have accomplished, but how much we love God. For, "Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies. And if anyone thinks that he knows anything, he knows nothing yet as he ought to know. But if anyone loves God, this one is known by Him (1Cor 8:1-3). Humility doesn't mean compromise of truth and values. There is something called a false humility that we must beware of. G.K.Chesterton said it well, "But what we suffer from today is humility in the wrong place. Modesty has moved from the organ of ambition. Modesty has settled upon the organ of conviction; where it was never meant to be. A man was meant to be doubtful about himself, but undoubt...

The answer is “No”. But, this is not the doctrine of eternal security as taught by Calvinism. According to Calvinism, God predestines certain individuals to damnation and certain others to salvation. Those whom God has predestined to be saved will endure to the end. Thus, it is not “those who endure to the end will be saved” but “those who are saved will endure to the end.” In other words, the elect will endure; it is not those who will endure that are the elect. We reject the Calvinist explanation of the security of the elect for several biblical reasons stated elsewhere; but, primary, is that it paints a very wrong image of God. In this post, we will try to explain why we believe that the “elect” of God will not fall. Election is not unconditional, but conditional. The elect of God are those whom God eternally knows as the ones who are His, i.e. those who have endured to the end in faith (2Tim.2:19). These who are foreknown by God as His are the elect of God according to His forekno...

"The sin of Adam," says Charles Hodge, "did not make the condemnation of all men merely possible; it was the ground of their actual condemnation. So the righteousness of Christ did not make the salvation of men merely possible, it secured the actual salvation of those for whom He wrought." The great Baptist preacher Charles H. Spurgeon said: "If Christ has died for you, you can never be lost. God will not punish twice for one thing. If God punished Christ for your sins He will not punish you. 'Payment God's justice cannot twice demand; first, at the bleeding Saviour's hand, and then again at mine.' How can God be just if he punished Christ, the substitute, and then man himself afterwards?", Loraine Boettner, The Reformed Doctrine of Predestination. While God's love is unconditional, salvation is not. Therefore, it says, "God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but h...

"And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. (John 10:28 ) The search for the elixir of life or the potion of immortality fills the pages of human religion and history. While various religions affirmed immortality of the soul (or even a-soul as in Buddhism), the quest for the ambrosia (nectar or amrit) to enhance physical longevity could hardly be erased. The Bible records the Tree of Life in Genesis 2:9; however, we have less theological warrant to assume that it has power to give eternal life, separately of God. God cannot create a stone heavier than He can lift, because that would be a contradiction of terms. Similarly, a tree of life that can bestow immortality apart from God, immune against God, is a contradiction of terms. The statement “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever” (Gen.3:22) must...

Jesus gives the answer to this question in His Parable of the Unforgiving Servant (Matt.18:23-35). The man was forgiven but his forgiveness became invalid and was withdrawn the moment he showed unforgiveness to someone else who was indebted to him. This man failed to walk according to the grace he received and soon turned to the law when it came to someone else. Jesus told that with the measure we measure out to others, it will be measured back to us (Matt.7:1-2). We are told not to judge. We must be forgiving not just in deed but also in disposition. Forgiveness doesn't mean that we restore people to the same circle of relationship; it means to harbor absolutely no hatred or desire to hurt or of they being hurt. Forgiveness flows out of mercy and "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy" (Matt.5:7). The entire service of the Temple was founded upon the concept of mercy; the Law only functioned to show people their state of sin. It was at the Temple, at the ...

What Honoring is Not 1. Honoring is Not Mere Lip Service (Isa.29:13) 2. Honoring is Not Mere Sacrifices and Offerings (Isa.1:13-15) 3. Honoring is Not Honoring Out of Greed and Covetousness (Job 1) How do People Dishonor God 1. Receiving Honor from Men (Jn.5:44; Gal.1:10) 2. Not Obeying His Counsel (Psa.107:11; Lk.7:29,30) 3. Dishonoring by Not Giving Unto the Lord (Mal.3:8-10) 4. Dishonoring by Bad Giving (Mal.1:6,7,12-14) 5. Dishonoring by Betrayal (Heb.6:1-11) 6. Cursing God when Things Don't Go Well (Job 1) Honoring God 1. Honoring God with our Hearts (Isa.29:13; Deut 6:5) 2. Honoring by Obeying God rather than Man (Acts 5:29) 3. Honoring by Right Giving (Prov.3:9) 4. Honoring by Blessing God and Worshiping Even in Dire Circumstances (Job 1; Acts 16:25) 5. Honoring God by Public Confession (Not being ashamed of Him, Mark 8:38, Rom.1:16; 1Pet.3:15) 6. Honoring God by Bearing Fruit Unto God (Lk.3:8; Rom.6:22; Phil.1:11; Col.1:10) 7. Honoring God by Doing Good, Seeking Justice, Re...

Satan answered the LORD and said, "Does Job fear God for nothing?" (Job 1:9) In Job 1:9, the devil is for the first time seen accusing anyone in the history of humanity. The accused guy is a healthy, wealthy, holy man called Job. 3 Claims of the Devil: 1. Anyone can fear God if God becomes their protector 2. Anyone can fear God if God becomes their prosperor 3. Anyone will curse God if God withdraws His protection and prosperity The Devil is happy as long as we fear God for something: for healing, for blessing, for good friends, for things going on well, even for salvation... However, the Devil is distraught the moment he sees that we fear God for "nothing" related to us, but everything related to God, even for intense suffering. This the Devil can't bear, for it contradicts his nature; he is thoroughly wicked and he can't believe anyone is capable of being good, of truly fearing God. Job is the story of how God stripped Job of everything he had, ultimately ...

Take for instance the case of your neighbor or a friend that you know is not a believer in Christ. What is the difference between you as a believer and the other? The constitutionalist would say that there is a constitutional or ontological difference: the unbeliever’s spirit is dead, or the unbeliever’s nature is totally wicked (though he may sometimes seem to be doing good), while your spirit has been made alive or recreated and you have been imparted a divine nature. Thus, there is a constitutional difference between you and the unbeliever. The non-constitutionalist, on the other hand, will say that there is no constitutional difference between the two of you; the only difference is faith, which in the believer is present, but in the unbeliever is absent. Christ and the Spirit indwell us by faith (Eph.3:17; 2:22). Faith is epistemic condition, involving free choice; it is not an ontic property related to nature and being. Now, the presence of doubts at times doesn’t...

"Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place. (Mark 13:30) A look at the use of the phrase "this generation" indicates that the phrase doesn't always only mean a historical generation (of a particular time); but, it means "these kind of people" or "this Adamic generation". Thus, Jesus was not telling the crowd that His return would be within 60-90 years from then, or that there would be some who would continue to live on and never see death till He returned. From a study of the use of the phrase, it seems more reasonable to interpret "this generation" or the phrase "there are some standing here" as meaning "this sinful generation". It points to the fact that the end-time appearance of Jesus will be upon "this generation" while they are still alive. It is important to ask why Jesus should appear alive upon "this generation"? What is the point ...

"Let us, as many as are mature, have this mind" (Phil.3:15) 7 MARKS OF MATURITY 1. Having no confidence in the flesh, i.e. with regard to race, tribe, caste, culture, class, position, training (Phil.3:3-6) 2. Christ-mindedness, i.e. to regard relationship with Christ above every other thing in the world (Phil.3:7-8) 3. Pursuing God's righteousness, i.e. neither being legalistic nor being libertine, but pursuing the righteousness of faith. (Phil.3:9) 4. Resurrection-focus, i.e. to fasten the mind on the new creation, the power of His resurrection, with the final glorification being the focus of entire life (Phil.3:10-11). 5. Never considering to have already attained or achieved or reached (Phil.3:12), which is a great hindrance to spiritual growth and maturity. 6. Forgetting the past, i.e. to not be reveling in old accomplishments nor be depressed by old failures, to neither idolize the past nor be victimized by it; to not keep knots, to not hold grudges, to not keep ...

In Mark 3, we have the story of a man with a withered hand who was healed by Jesus. In contrast, there were people there who were not at all blessed by the miracle; but, instead grew worse after they saw what Jesus did. Let's look at four reasons why these people couldn't experience the miracle of Jesus in their lives: 1. Because of Their Critical Attitude Mark says that "they watched Him closely, whether He would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him." (Mark 3:2). They had a very critical, skeptical, and evil attitude towards Jesus. A negative mind is like the grave that is never satisfied; it is like the bottomless pit that can never have enough. Even if God would split the sun into two, a critical mind will not be able to say, "Yes, now I accept you Lord!" People with a critical mind cannot receive the miracle of God. That is why the Israelites who murmured perished in the wilderness; because though they had seen so many miracles, even to...

Excerpt from "Globalization: A Theological Overview", Paper at CMS Consultation, UBS, January 2014 Theologically, we can recognize at least four distinctions in God’s ordering of the history of humanity: the original ordering, the divisive ordering, the in-gathering ordering, and the final ordering. 1. The Original Ordering. In the original ordering, humanity is one. Nationalities didn’t exist because plurality of language and culture was unknown. This original ordering began to break down after sin when man first understood the sense of shame and guilt as the man and the woman hid behind trees to hide their nakedness. Later, jealousy, murder, and lustful imagination employed the original ordering to infect the entire humanity to the extent that God desired to wipe off the entire human race. A global flood became the only resolution. 2. The Divisive Ordering. After the Flood, humanity was given a divisive ordering. ‘Confusion’ was the word used to describe this division bec...

The Apostles' Creed The Apostles' Creed is the earliest creed that we know. It listed the main and basic doctrinal statements of Christian Faith. The Creed 1. I believe in God the Father, Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth: 2. And in Jesus Christ, his only begotten Son, our Lord: 3. Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary: 4. Suffered under Pontius Pilate; was crucified, dead and buried: He descended into hell: 5. The third day he rose again from the dead: 6. He ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty: 7. From thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead: 8. I believe in the Holy Ghost: 9. I believe in the holy catholic church: the communion of saints: 10. The forgiveness of sins: 1l. The resurrection of the body: 12. And the life everlasting. Amen. Nicene Creed The Nicene Creed was adopted by the First Council of Nicaea in 325 in response to heretical views of Christ related to His divine and human nature. The ...

Mark 5:24-34 The Miracles of Jesus Christ 1. Clarification 2. Calling 3. Counting 4. Categories 5. Critics 6. Cause or Purpose 1. Clarification : Miracles of Christ are supernatural acts caused by the will of Jesus Christ which contrast to and interrupt the way in which life ordinarily functions 2. Calling What are miracles called in scripture? Dunamis - Power: mighty works, virtue, power, miracle Semeion - Sign or indication, miracle Ergon - Acts, deeds, work Teras - Extraordinary, wonders Dunamis emphasizes the Power behind the miracle Semeion emphasizes the Purpose behind the miracle. Ergon emphasizes the Performing of the miracle Teras emphasizes the Praise from the miracle 3. Counting Some think Jesus performed only 37 miracles, but the Bible says that they were innumerable (Jn.21:25) a. Many miracles were summarized (Matt 8:16).     12  summary statements in Matthew     10 in Mark     5 in Luke     6 in John b. Some miracles are sim...

UNDERSTANDING THIS AGE Modern Period (19th & Early 20th Centuries) Post-Modern Period (Late 20th Century) Post-Postmodern Period (21st Century) MODERN PERIOD (19TH & EARLY 20TH CENTURIES) Rationalism Scientific Temper Utopianism Secularism Skepticism Liberalism POST-MODERN PERIOD (LATE 20TH CENTURY) Mood Against Truth (No Absolutes) Rejection of Reason Emphasis on Style over Substance Privatization of Morals (Morals are personal) Pluralism Image or Virtual Culture Rejection of Metanarratives POST-POSTMODERN AGE (21ST C) Intense Globalization and Trans-nationalism Intense Fundamentalism Return to Modernism Between Modernism and Post-modernism Neo-romanticism (Attempting to turn finite into infinite) Pseudo-modernism (Internet Culture of Clicks, Likes, and Downloads) LIBERALISM Friedrich Schliermacher, Harold De Wolf Rationalism and Scientific Temper Genesis 1-11 as Mythological. Not Literal. No Original Sin. Hyper Contextualization of Theology Emphasis on Natural Theology (Natu...

1 Drachma was the daily wage of a skilled laborer (Greek Currency) 1 Denarius was the daily wage of an unskilled laborer (Roman Currency) 1 piece of silver (Tetradrachm) equaled 4 drachmas; thus, Judas' 30 tetradrachms equaled 120 drachmas or 4 months' (120 days') labor wages of a skilled laborer. *According to Labor Dept of Delhi government, the minimum wages per day of a skilled laborer is Rs.423; of unskilled laborer, Rs.348, but could be higher than this minimum rate.

There is a teaching going on that "tithes" in the Old Testament were a kind of income tax that the Israelites paid to the Levites in their theocracy, and so Christians are not obligated to bring tithes to the Church since they are already paying taxes to the government. However, this view is very misinformed. Governmental tithe as tax was separate from the Temple one (1Sam.8:15). Abraham gave tithes, not to a Levite, but to Melchizedek when the Levitical order was not there. In 2Kgs.4:42, a man brings firstfruits to Elisha who was from the tribe of Issachar, at a time when they could not go to Jerusalem. In the NT, Paul talks about Christian workers living by the Gospel in the same way that the Levites lived by the offerings in the Temple (1Cor.9:9-14). There are things of Caesar, but there are also things that belong to God if we belong to the Body. And, in a Body, it is not just about voluntary giving. Suppose, the eye says to the finger, "I am only going to look when ...